All-In-One Dutch Oven Cooking System

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a portable all-in-one cooking system. More specifically it relates to a portable all-in-one Dutch oven cooking system which has a plurality of burners that may be placed on the bottom or top of the Dutch oven so that one or more stacked Dutch ovens may be heated. The cooking system may also serve as a two or more burners cooking stove that can be used with traditional cooking utensils.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a portable all-in-one cooking system.More specifically it relates to a portable all-in-one Dutch oven cookingsystem which has a plurality of burners that may be placed on the bottomor top of the Dutch oven so that one or more stacked Dutch Ovens may beheated. The cooking system may also serve as a two or more burnerscooking stove that can be used with traditional cooking utensils.

2. Description of Related Art

A Dutch oven is used for outdoor cooking using charcoal, wood, or otherflammable materials that are placed under the pot for cooking with heatfrom the bottom, and/or placed on the top for broiling or oven cooking.To use a Dutch oven, the user must first ignite the flammable materials,typically charcoal, which may require charcoal lighter fluid or acharcoal chimney with an accelerant, such as newspaper, in an area thatcan safely handle open flames, such as a prepared fire pit, orpreviously cleared area on the ground. If a wood fire is used, the woodmust be gathers, kindling is usually required to start the fire, and thefire must burn down to mostly coals to be useful.

The process to ignite the charcoal, typically takes 20 or more minutesfor the charcoal, wood, coal, or other flammable material to besufficiently hot to be useful. A number of hot coals must be placedunder the Dutch oven depending on the heat level required. This requiresthe use of an implement to pick up or move hot coals, typically metaltongs of long length to help prevent burns. The handling of the coalsfor ignition and for attempted temperature control leads to safetyissues. Another issue encountered in using the charcoals with Dutch ovenis ash contamination. The top lid of a Dutch oven has gaps to allow thesteam to exit. Having the hot coals on the top lid as well as moving theentire Dutch oven to replace the coals underneath and frequent removalof the lid for food inspection often leads to ash contamination of thefood inside the Dutch oven. Furthermore cleaning up the charcoal residueis a messy process. The use of a Dutch oven with charcoal could bearduous, time consuming, messy, expensive, space consuming, anddangerous due to the need to move hot coals. The object of thisinvention is to improve the Dutch oven cooking experience in all theseareas and also serves as a two or more burners cooking stove that can beused with traditional cooking utensils.

Alternative outdoor cooking systems and improvement upon Dutch oven forproviding improved outdoor cooking experience is known in the prior art.More specifically, by way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,451 to Studer,et al. discloses a cooking apparatus for alternately cooking, broiling,or grilling foods in a single vessel. The Dutch oven type cook systemhas heating fluid in the passageways between the double walls and cooksfrom the sides, top, and bottom with hot oil. However, the cookingdevice disclosed in the patent is designed for institutional andcommercial kitchen. It is bulky and more costly compared to ourinvention (the all-in-one Dutch oven cooking system) making it not agood choice for camping use.

U.S. PreGrant Publication No 20070199555 to Gregory discloses a methodand portable system for cooking. The portable cooking system has aheating chamber that can fit in multiple Dutch ovens. The system isdifferent from our invention in that our invention may apply direct heatfrom the top of the Dutch oven for broiling or oven cooking. Althoughthe invention disclosed in this PreGrant publication may also applycharcoal on top of the Dutch oven, the issues encountered fortraditional Dutch oven cooking is not overcome.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,332 to Mosher II, et al. discloses a folding campingstove. The folding camping stove may be formed in a clamshellconfiguration, having two clamshells that fold outward to expose atleast two cooking surfaces. Because the two stoves are not separable, itcannot be used to heat both bottom and top of the Dutch ovens at thesame time.

There is a vast amount of prior art available regarding portable cookingsystems, but not many possess the advantages of the Dutch oven nor dothey improve upon the shortcomings earlier discussed regarding thecooking experience with the Dutch oven. The cooking system according tothe present invention is, therefore, intended to alleviate the problemsencountered in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a portable all-in-one Dutch oven cookingsystem that uses a burner underneath Dutch oven, between its legs, andanother separate burner on top of the Dutch oven lid. Both the top andbottom burners can share a fuel source or have individual sources, suchas natural gas, propane, liquid fuel gas. Besides, the cooking systemalso includes fuel source, transporting means to channel fuel from fuelsource to burners, and regulating means to control the fuel flow.

Each burner has a flame bar that is connected to the fuel source viatransporting means, a heat deflector between the flame bar and thebottom of the burner to increase the efficiency, a set of airflowcut-offs along the side wall to allow air flow in and mix with fuel, afuel valve adjustment on the side, a plurality of standoffs for keepingthe burner's bottom from direct contact with the cooking surface. Theheat deflector may be removed or rotated away to allow heating in bothdirections for stacked Dutch ovens cooking.

In addition, each burner has a heat non-conducting handles on the sideto allow safe adjustment and movement of the burners while in use. Thetop burner has a hook device to allow it to hook the handle that is partof the Dutch oven lid. The top and bottom burners are designed to nestand connect to each other for easier storage and transportation. Inaddition, the cooking system may include a temperature sensing devicelocated on the burners that would indicate whether the burners are stillproducing heat. The cooking system may also include a temperaturecontrol system to monitor the temperature inside or outside the Dutchoven and control the fuel delivery system (valve) to maintain a settemperature level.

The means for transporting fuel include tubes, pipes or hoses and may beconfigured in multiple ways depending on the cooking method, such as,traditional Dutch oven cooking with a burner on the bottom and one onthe top. Other cooking methods that are enabled with this system includeone burner on bottom of a Dutch oven and another used on top of anadditional Dutch oven, or with both burners on top or underneath twoDutch ovens (or traditional cooking utensils). Also this system can beused optionally with grates, such as grill grates and skillets.

The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined inorder that the more detailed description that follows may be betterunderstood and in order that the present contribution to the art maybetter be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will bedescribed hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claimsthat follow.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangements of the componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of thepresent invention so that those skilled in the art may better understandthe detailed description of the invention that follows. Additionalfeatures of the invention will be described hereinafter that form thesubject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art shouldappreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception andspecific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying otherstructures for carrying out the same purposes of the present inventionand that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scopeof the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome more fully apparent from the following detailed description, theappended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elementsare given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the cookingsystem.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of one embodiment of the cookingsystem.

FIG. 3 is a detail view of example configurations of Flame Bar.

FIG. 4 is a detail view of example heat shield or deflector.

FIG. 5 a is a side perspective view of one embodiment of the cookingsystem which is in its operative cooking position where one burner is onthe bottom and one is on the top of the Dutch oven.

FIG. 5 b is a side perspective view of one embodiment of the cookingsystem which is in its operative position where both the burners arelaid flat and used with traditional pots and pans as a conventionalstove top.

FIG. 5 c is a side perspective view of one embodiment of the cookingsystem which is in its operating position where one burner is on bottomof a Dutch Oven and another burner is on top of an additional Dutchoven.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an all-in-one Dutch Oven Cooking System in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. Instead of using coals toprovide heat, said cooking system uses a burner that fits underneathDutch oven (bottom burner), between its legs, and another separateburner on top of the Dutch Oven lid (top burner). The burners can sharea fuel source or have individual sources, such as natural gas, propane,liquid fuel gas. FIG. 1 illustrates a top perspective view and FIG. 2illustrates a side perspective view of the embodiment of said cookingsystem 1. The cooking system 1 includes a burner assembly 2 (top burner2 a, a bottom burner 2 b), fuel source 3 and transporting means (such astubes, pipes, or hoses) 4 for channeling fuel from fuel source 3 toburner assembly 2. In this embodiment, both burners share the same fuelsupply using a T type connector 5. The fuel source 3 may be controlledby one or more pressure regulators 6. Both top burner 2 a and bottomburner 2 b are short in height, typically circular in shape and of adiameter adapted to best fit within the legs under a Dutch oven. Theburner on top is also sufficiently short in height to allow stacking ofDutch ovens on top of each other or to use the top burner on the bottomof another separate Dutch oven if desired as illustrated in FIG. 5. Inother embodiments, the shape of the burners and the shape of the Dutchoven may vary; and thus the configurations may be changed. Accordingly,hoses or pipes and connectors of other types (e.g. Y type) may be usedto provide the flexibility for various shapes and configurations ofcooking systems.

Returning to FIG. 1, there may be a mechanism to control the amount offuel flow to each burner 2, independently. This control mechanism can bea simple fuel adjustment valve 7 that controls the flow from fully on tofully off, or may be indexed, such as a stove burner dial to control thefuel flow stepwise. The transporting means 4 may pass through thissimple adjustment valve 7 and attach to the connect type fitting on theburners 2.

Each burner 2 has a flame bar 8 that is connected to the fuel source 3that spreads out the fuel over the burner's surface for even andefficient cooking. In the prototype, the flame bar is made of coppertubing, in a spiral configuration as shown in FIG. 3 a, with holes inthe tubing to allow the fuel to exit. Because the pressure drops as thefuel passes through the tube and exits out of the holes along the way,either more holes or larger holes need to be placed nearer the end ofthe tubing, to allow for a fairly symmetrical flame within the burnerarea. The number of spirals and spacing for the tubing, as well as holesplacement can be optimized for even flame and heat flow to the Dutchoven. In other embodiments as shown in FIGS. 3 b and 3 c, otherincarnations may be used that provide a pressure controlling bafflingeffect, allowing more symmetric spacing of fuel exit holes, such as ahollow metal box or series of boxes, fed with the fuel in a specificarea or side. The fuel equalizes within the box, and then exists atfairly even flow rates from each hole. This type of flame bar device 8may be circular in shape to be fully contained within the burnerdimensions, with a generally symmetrical hole pattern along its edge andsurface facing the Dutch Oven. The configurations of flame bar 8 mayvary depending on the shape of the burners and the shape of the Dutchoven they are designed to work with.

Each burner 2 has a heat shield or deflector 13 (circular piece of sheetmetal in prototype) between the flame bar 8 and the bottom of the burneras shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the burner may havesmall standoffs such as bumps, lip, or feet 12 underneath to help itstand and to prevent the burner 2 from direct contact with the cookingsurface. This small gap allows an air space and thus increases theefficiency of the burners 2 as the burner's heat is not being conductedaway by the cooking surface. In addition, the heat shield or deflector13 reflects heat from the flame bar 8 back towards the Dutch ovensurface being heated, increasing efficiency and at the same time, actsto insulate the heat from the bottom of the burner. The use of heatdeflector together with the standoffs allow the burners to be placed onmany common surfaces, such as wood picnic tables, glass tables, tableswith metal tops, decks, stone counter tops, pavement, metal platforms,metal grates, parking lots, etc.

Each burner 2 has a plurality of symmetrical cut-outs 9 along with theside wall of the burner to allow air flow into the burner to mix withthe fuel to allow for proper flame ignition. These symmetric cut-outsalso create a shelf for the flame bar 8 to rest on so that the flame bar8 would not directly contact with the bottom of the burner.

Each burner 2 has a handle 10 on the side to allow safe adjustment andmovement of the burners 2 while in use. The top burner 2 a has a hookdevice 11 on the side to allow it to hook the handle that is part of theDutch oven lid, and by turning the burner sideways and slightly rotatingthe burner forces the lid to be controlled between the hook and thesurface of the side burner surface. This allows the Dutch oven lid to beopened when hot to allow inspection of the cooking process or for theaddition of cooking materials, such as spices, etc. This featurealleviates the need for a separate tool used to lift the hot lid. Theentire Dutch oven may also be lifted in this manner by hooking onto theDutch oven handle. In this case the burner would be positioned so thehook is facing downward to hook the handle and lift upwards to move theDutch oven.

Referring to FIG. 2, the top burner 2 a and bottom burner 2 b aredesigned to nest and connect to each other for easier storage andtransportation. This may be accomplished by the top burner's 2 a outeredge being a little larger (greater diameter) than the bottom burner 2b, or vice versa, so the bottom burner can slip somewhat inside the topburner and be affixed using a 90 degree screw motion where there is ashort screw like channel in the top burner and the bottom burner has aprotrusion (bump out) that fits inside the screw channel, and when ascrewing motion is applied, the bottom burner twists into the top andsecures the two burners to each other.. The screw pattern is designed sothe top and bottom burner handles would be aligned when locked together.This facilitates easier transportation and reduces the space needed forstorage. Other means may be used to accomplish the connection of the topburner and the bottom burner for storage and transportation, such as,slip hinges that connects the burners on one side and clamps or latchesto connect the other side, or latches on the side of the burners thatgrab the opposing burner and latches on to it, or flexible spring actionbuttons in one burner that the other burner fits into and the buttonsexpand in holes to create a locking action. These holes that the buttonsexpand into can also be some of the same holes used for the fuel/airmixture feature described above. These features are not shown in theprototype.

The burner assembly 2 may also include an ignition system on the topburner to help facilitate ignition of both burners 2. This system may beefficiently implemented using one piezoelectric device 14 on the topburner 2 a to ignite both burners. This can be accomplished by havingthe two burners locked together as they would be in storage ortransportation, with the fuel hoses connected and the fuel turned on tothe bottom burner 2 b only; using the single piezoelectric device thatis connected to the top burner 2 a, ignite the bottom burner 2 b;disconnect the top burner 2 a from the bottom burner 2 b; place Dutchoven on bottom burner 2 b, place top burner 2 a on lid of Dutch oven,turn fuel flow on, ignite top burner 2 a. These features are not shownin the drawings.

In one embodiment of the cooking system 1, a temperature control systemmay be implemented which monitors the temperature inside or outside theDutch oven and controls the fuel delivery system (valves) to maintain aset temperature level. In one embodiment, a temperature sensing devicethat would indicate if the burners are no longer producing heat as apaint spot located on each burner 2. In other embodiments, thetemperature sensing device may be a thermometer, or other means toeasily monitor heat production. These features are not shown in thedrawings.

If a propane or liquid fuel tank is used, a separate rack is providedthat is designed to hold the fuel tank in the proper position (uprightor canted up to 45 degrees), providing stability so the tank(s) do notfall over during use. This allows for multiple tanks to be used (e.g.one for top burner, one for bottom burner) and allows for fuel tankheight adjustments so the fuel supply system can work with the cookingsystem at various heights and in various configurations. This rack wouldalso lift the fuel tank off the cooking surface, perhaps about 1 inch,to prevent it from overheating and allows control of the tank position,to prevent the tank(s) from falling over unintentionally. This rackwould allow the tanks to be raised to allow alignment with the cookingsystem when elevated, such as, during stacked Dutch oven cooking. Thisrack could be simply made of a wire frame in that spirals around thetanks, to hold the fuel tank in one, two, or more different heights withlegs to keep the tanks off the ground and stabilize the tanks. This rackis not shown in the prototype. In the standard configuration shown inthe prototype, the fuel tank is sitting upright and the tubes are sizedto work with one Dutch oven.

The burners 2 may have the feature of removing or rotating away the heatdeflector 13, as well as the bottom flat cover of the burners, to allowthe burners 2 to be used as a central heating elements that heats inboth directions (through the top and through the bottom) which is usefulwhen cooking with two or more Dutch ovens that are stacked on top ofeach other, as well as allowing the possibility to use the top burner 2a to simultaneously heat the top lid of the Dutch ovens as well as toheat a traditional pot or pan sitting on top of the burner 2.

The hoses or pipes for transporting fuels 4 may be configured inmultiple ways depending on the cooking method, such as, a traditionalDutch oven cooking with a burner on the bottom and one on the top (FIG.5 a), or with one or both burners used flat for use with one or twoDutch Ovens (cooking from the bottom), or the burners can be laid flatand used with traditional pots and pans as a conventional stove top(FIG. 5 b), or one burner on bottom of a Dutch Oven and another used ontop of an additional Dutch Oven (FIG. 5 c), or with both burners on topof two Dutch Ovens.

Other cooking methods that are enabled with this system include usingtraditional cooking utensils (such as pots and pans) and cooking fromunderneath with both burners side by side, and/or cooking from the topwhen using traditional pot and pan lids. Also this system can haveoptional grates, such as grill grates, that sit over the burner surfacesto increase stability when using large pots and pans. An optional heatspreader device that is akin to a large cast iron skillet that may becircular in shapes can also sit on top of the burner(s) to increate thesurface area for larger pots, pans, or to directly cook on a skilletthat is sitting on top of one or both burners depending on the size andheat requirements. The system can be configured to have one skillet ontop of one burner, and another skillet on top of the bottom skillet,with food items in between the two skillets, and the top burner heatingthe top skillet. In this fashion, the cooking system is similar to aPanini press type grill.

It is this feature of the cooking system, i.e. supporting both Dutchoven cooking as well as traditional stove top oven, skillet, and othermethods of cooking, that reflects the name of this invention—All-in-oneDutch Oven Cooking System. With this system, a separate traditional twoburner stove top, oven, or skillet is not needed. This system works bothindoors and outdoors.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferredembodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended tobe exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described toprovide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and itspractical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art toutilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All suchmodifications and variations are within the scope of the invention asdetermined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance withthe breadth to which they are entitled.

1. An all-in-one Dutch oven cooking system comprising: a) a fuel sourcehaving pressure regulating means adapted to regulate the flow of thefuel source; b) a transporting means adapted to channel fuel from thefuel source; c) a connecting means adapted to connect with thetransporting means; d) a burner assembly including a top burner and abottom burner, each burner comprising: i) a connector type fittingadapted to attach to the transporting means; ii) a flame bar being ametal tubing connected with the transporting means through the fitting,the flame bar having holes in the tubing to allow the fuel to exit; iii)a bottom cover; iv) a heat deflector being a piece of metal sheetbetween the flame bar and the bottom cover of the burner to help reflectheat from the flame bar back to the surface being heated; v) A pluralityof symmetric cut outs on side wall allowing air flow inside the burnerto mix with the fuel for combustion and providing a shelf for the flamebar to rest on; vi) a plurality of feet attached to the bottom cover,supporting the burner to stand on the cooking surface; and vii) a heatnon-conductive handle on the side of the burner for safe movement andadjustment while in use.
 2. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein thebottom burner is of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the topburner so that the bottom burner fits into the top burner.
 3. Thecooking system of claim 1, wherein the top burner is of a diametersmaller than the diameter of the bottom burner so that the bottom burnerfits into the top burner.
 4. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein thebottom and top burners further comprising a means for nesting andconnecting to each other.
 5. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein thetop burner further comprising a hook on the side of the burner forpicking up the handle of the Dutch oven lid;
 6. The cooking system ofclaim 1, wherein the top burner further comprising an ignition system.7. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein the cooking system furthercomprises a mechanism to control the amount of fuel to each burnerindependently.
 8. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein the flame barfurther comprises a means for providing pressure controlling bafflingeffect.
 9. The cooking system of claim 4, wherein the means for nestingand connecting top and bottom burners including a short screw likechannel in the top burner and a protrusion in the bottom burner thatfits inside the screw channel in the top burner.
 10. The cooking systemof claim 1 further comprising a rack for holding the fuel tanks in theproper position.
 11. The cooking system of claim 6, wherein the ignitionsystem in top burner having one piezoelectric device.
 12. The cookingsystem of claim 1 further comprising a temperature sensing device thatindicates whether the burners are no longer producing heat.
 13. Thecooking system of claim 1 further comprising a temperature controldevice, the device monitors the temp inside and outside the Dutch ovenand controls the fuel delivery system to maintain a set temperaturelevel.
 14. The cooking system of claim 1 may be used with Dutch oven andtraditional cooking utensils including pots, pans, skillets, and grillgrates.
 15. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein the bottom cover andheat deflector may be removed to allow heating in both directions forstacked Dutch ovens and pots cooking.
 16. The cooking system of claim 1,wherein the flame bar may be in box configuration or modified boxconfiguration with two or more fingers.
 17. An all-in-one Dutch ovencooking system comprising: a) a fuel source having pressure regulatingmeans adapted to regulate the flow of the fuel source; b) a transportingmeans adapted to channel fuel from the fuel source; c) a connectingmeans adapted to connect with the transporting means; d) a burnerassembly including a top burner and a bottom burner, each burnercomprising: i) a connector type fitting adapted to attach to thetransporting means; ii) a flame bar being a metal tubing connected withthe transporting means through the fitting, the flame bar having holesin the tubing to allow the fuel to exit; iii) a bottom cover; iv) a heatdeflector being a piece of metal sheet between the flame bar and thebottom cover of the burner to help reflect heat from the flame bar backto the surface being heated; v) A plurality of symmetric cut outs onside wall allowing air flow inside the burner to mix with the fuel forcombustion and providing a shelf for the flame bar to rest on; vi) aplurality of feet attached to the bottom cover, supporting the burner tostand on the cooking surface; and vii) a heat non-conductive handle onthe side of the burner for safe movement and adjustment while in use.wherein, the bottom burner is of a diameter smaller than the diameter ofthe top burner so that the bottom burner fits into the top burner; thebottom and top burners further comprising a means for nesting andconnecting to each other; the top burner further comprising a hook onthe side of the burner for picking up the handle of the Dutch oven lid;and the top burner further comprising an ignition system.
 18. Anall-in-one Dutch oven cooking system comprising: a) a fuel source havingpressure regulating means adapted to regulate the flow of the fuelsource; b) a transporting means adapted to channel fuel from the fuelsource; c) a connecting means adapted to connect with the transportingmeans; d) a Dutch oven; and e) a burner assembly including a top burnerand a bottom burner, each burner comprising: viii) a connector typefitting adapted to attach to the transporting means; ix) a flame barbeing a metal tubing connected with the transporting means through thefitting, the flame bar having holes in the tubing to allow the fuel toexit; x) a bottom cover; xi) a heat deflector being a piece of metalsheet between the flame bar and the bottom cover of the burner to helpreflect heat from the flame bar back to the surface being heated; xii) Aplurality of symmetric cut outs on side wall allowing air flow insidethe burner to mix with the fuel for combustion and providing a shelf forthe flame bar to rest on; xiii) a plurality of feet attached to thebottom cover, supporting the burner to stand on the cooking surface; andxiv) a heat non-conductive handle on the side of the burner for safemovement and adjustment while in use. wherein, the bottom burner is of adiameter smaller than the diameter of the top burner so that the bottomburner fits into the top burner; the bottom and top burners furthercomprising a means for nesting and connecting to each other; the topburner further comprising a hook on the side of the burner for pickingup the handle of the Dutch oven lid; and the top burner furthercomprising an ignition system.